Tama Toki adopted the te reo Māori name of his home, Great Barrier Island, for his Indigenous-influenced, native flora-based skincare company – and Aotea’s concept store in Commercial Bay is also inspired by the island.

It was designed by Auckland-based studio Wonder Group to feel like a refuge from the pace of modern life, with cocooning honey-toned walls that tie in with the native mānuka and kānuka trees in Aotea’s products.

You can test the company’s balms and creams while standing around the large kauri slab in the heart of the store. It originates from a tree on the northern cliffs of Te Hauturu-o-Toi (Little Barrier Island) that fell in a storm over 20 years ago and was retrieved from the water.

Try a fragrant handwash or cleanser at the sink on the back wall; made of rusted concrete and corrugated iron, the sink takes its cue from an old communal wash basin and the island’s many weathered sheds.